3 days but 4 parks - which do you choose?

Which park would you skip?

  • Magic Kingdom

  • Epcot

  • Hollywood Studios

  • Animal Kingdom


Results are only viewable after voting.

jenbear123

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Joined
Feb 21, 2009
Messages
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You're going to WDW mid to late January 2022 but only have 3 days to spend at the parks. You haven't been to the parks since 2013. Park hopper is not an option. Which park doesn't make the cut and why?
 
I'd skip animal kingdom. Mainly just because there's less I want to do there compared to the other parks.
 
Unfortunately, Animal Kingdom. We have a hard time making a full day of it at AK, so given your time restrictions, I wouldn't use a full day there. But have a great trip!
 
Animal Kingdom. Less to do, shorter hours, every other park has attractions I like better than those at AK. I have taken many 3 days trips and even with park hoppers, we have skipped AK more often than not.
 

I did this in September and chose MK (though to be honest, I have a trip in Jan planned - may have felt differently otherwise). Also, it seems like it really depends on what you like to do. Kids? I'd keep MK. Thrill rides? I'd skip it. I hadn't been since 2015 - wanted to check out Pandora, Galaxy's Edge, and Toy Story Land (and Expedition Everest is my favorite ride - though it'll be down when you go). When I went, Remy wasn't open - so, skipping Epcot could've made sense (though if EE is my #1, Soarin is my 1B). Plus it was F&W (which spoke to me more than the Arts might've). FWIW, I ended up able to go to an AH at the MK on my DAK day, so it all worked out - but I didn't do any of the quintessential MK things (fireworks and Boo Bash-centric things were on my radar vs. rides, etc).
 
I love FOP, and DS loves the birds and bird shows so AK stays.
Epcot is better for older people but it's under a lot of construction and Remy's cute but not as good as FOP.
 
Although I love EP and the WS, I voted to skip that. Since you haven’t seen Pandora and FoP is such a great ride, I wouldn’t say to skip AK. EE and the Safari are wonderful as well. And the trails. And you can relax and spend some time at Nomad lounge to relax too. Then fill in with the other experiences.
 
I would say if you don't have kids OR generally aren't into the Disney animated movies, skip MK. Even when DH and I do MK these days, it's basically Thunder Mtn, Haunted Mansion, Tiki Room, Carousel of Progress, PeopleMover, and Little Mermaid (when the line is short, which is often).

We'd rather spend the day at AK when we can stroll around the park and do all the animal walking attractions. It's true there are less rides than some other parks. But there's great entertainment, some amazing food and drink options, and beautiful atmosphere. Just remember to wear a hat if you go into the bird room! The downside of AK is that it can be hard to find a shady place to sit and relax.

I honestly feel even EPCOT has less attractions than Animal Kingdom but again it's personal. I think we really only care about Spaceship Earth and the new Remy ride. The headliner rides "Soarin, Test Track, and Frozen) are not bad, but just not worth the wait IMO. I'd rather breeze through a line for Living with the Land or Grand Fiesta Tour.

Hollywood Studios is a bit of a toss up. If you're a Star Wars fan it's a must. It has a bunch of great rides but all of them have loooong lines. Unlike MK/EPCOT, HS is compact so the "shorter line" attractions aren't pulling enough people away from the big ticket attractions. Also, due to lack of foresight by Disney, it doesn't have a unified theme which means the overall atmosphere suffers.

Again, these are all just personal opinions :) as you can see people have pretty different opinions about each park.
 
You might check but Everest may still be down when you are there - it is when we go (mid-Jan) so that may help you make your decision!
 
Some great answers so far! Keep 'em coming! It's definitely a toss up still and I'll really have to look at all the attractions at each park I want to see. There's been so many changes...my next question is how different is Disney Springs now?
 
Some great answers so far! Keep 'em coming! It's definitely a toss up still and I'll really have to look at all the attractions at each park I want to see. There's been so many changes...my next question is how different is Disney Springs now?
IMO, it's different in some ways but not different enough to spend time on. I did and I regretted it (I did it on my departure day - but still). Even if it were my style (I'm not super into shopping), all of the differences I noticed were negative (mostly homogenized merch - I didn't see much at World of Disney that I hadn't seen in every other gift shop). It and the Lego store were hard to get into. I'm not a super fan of candy, etc but enjoyed Goofy's Candy to do the design your own treats (which aren't back). It (all of DS) just felt blah to me.
 
It all depends on what attractions or shows you want to see.

MK - similar to the original park, DLR with half the rides
DHS - similar to DCA, with half the rides
EPCOT - mostly food, a few rides and shows sprinkled in
AK - 1/2 day park at most.
 
Keep in mind that you can use Genie and Genie+(paid) now to help with getting on rides. For some you may need to use Lightning Lane+ (paid option). You can order Genie+ starting at midnight before your park day and start making reservations after 7AM.
 
Skip Animal Kingdom. It is sadly lacking in rides outside of FOP and Everest, and the animals are cute but not worth the premium above going to the zoo.
 
Some great answers so far! Keep 'em coming! It's definitely a toss up still and I'll really have to look at all the attractions at each park I want to see. There's been so many changes...my next question is how different is Disney Springs now?
If you have a wad of funny money in your pocket, DS will help you spend it.
I like the Tommy Bahama with Dis-flavored cruise clothes, Uniqlo, and many of the restaurants.
Just went to House of Blues brunch and Splitsville. Both were great. Love Wine Bar George and Polite Pig, too.
I usually save all shopping for World of Disney because they indeed have most of the stuff that’s in the park (but not the stupid Pandora wood nymph thing my DS6 missed until our next trip to AK. Gaaah.)
 
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This is really difficult, there has been some change since 2013 - Epcot is still in pieces, even though it's one of my favorites. What's new since 2013, leaving out MK because I personally think it's part of any complete WDW trip.

Epcot - Frozen, Remy, Harmonius (UoE gone)
DHS - Toy Story Land, Star Wars Land (Fantasmic not playing)
AK - Flight of Passage, Na'vi River (no night time show, and Primeval Whirl is gone :yay:) + for Pandora at night.
 
It really depends on your group and tastes. AK is my second favorite park after MK but it’s more of a place for us to chill. We do all the animal walks, and the train ride, relax and listen to music, etc.

If I had little kids and 3 days only? I’d spend 2 days at MK, a short day at DHS and chill for an afternoon at the resort.

ETA:If I wanted to maximize time on thrill rides, I’d go to Universal rather than Disney. But it’s not about thrill rides for us
 
















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